The present invention refers to a means for mounting a hub bearing unit to a vehicle or the like. The means may be fitted to or be an integral portion of a so called spring strut.
Hub bearing units for supporting vehicles are earlier known and have been used in motor cars. These hub bearing units thereby substitute conventional bearings and stub axles. Such a unit can be driven or non-driven. An example of a driven unit is shown in Swedish Pat. No. 8201969-6.
The hub bearing unit shown in said patent and also most other similar units are connected via the outer race, which has often a flange. The unit may also be connected to the vehicle via the inner part, whereby theouter part then will rotate and support the wheel. Common for all those units is however that they are all connected at one side and at said side affixed to the vehicle part by means of screws or the like. The units are thus mounted by being introduced horizontally and laterally and by being screwed.
The structure to which the unit is screwed is in most cases a moulded or forged steering knuckle housing. This in turn is connected to the vehicle whereby it can take up all forces that may come up. The design of a steering knuckle housing is well known and is not further described herein. In recent years it has however been proposed light and inexpensive designs made from stamped sheet metal, which are somewhat different from the conventional ones. These recent designs have a cupshaped design with a circumferential bottom flange connected to one side of the bearing unit. A considerable axial extension is required, in order to obtain a sufficient strength, which means that the design from a space point of view will infringe on the adjacent elements, such as brake housing and the like. This is especially pronounced at driven front wheels, where the drive shaft requires big space at skewing of the wheels. From this reason it has hitherto proven itself very difficult to combine a sheet metal design with a bearing unit in which the drive joint is made integral with the inner race ring of the bearing part, which ring with its axial compactness further reduces the available space.